I think that you can get things much cheaper after thanksgiving beofore chrismas. I think the black friday thing is just what people do becuase it’s tradition and they think they are getting things for the cheapest possible even though they are not nessesarily. Just my opinion though….

I would not waste my time. Didn’t we learn ANYTHING from the massive loss of material possessions this past month? Black Friday is just an excuse to put more money in the hands of the retailers, by sucking us in. Now, if you want to go wait in line to buy a new appliance at low cost for either yourself or even better, for someone who LOST their washer-dryer, oven, etc., then I will say no more.

If you’re looking for something specific, go to http://www.bfads.net. There you can put in the item you’re looking for, such as a gps, and it will list the different sites and stores that have it and the models and prices. Same with other electronics, toys, clothing, etc…

Considering that Jews don’t have a gift-giving holiday in December, there’t no need to imitate the goyim on this one. If there were big sales (a lot of studies suggest there isn’t any real cutting prices), we would want them preceeding our holidays. One might argue that since “Black Friday” is part of the preparation for the holiday the Christians celebrate on Dec. 25, that particpiating in it verges on Avodah Zarah.

Wasn’t that a similar question to the dispute of India (South Asian) hair for wigs. If the avodah of the Christians is to go shopping in a certain way, we shouldn’t join it. Of course, the mere act of shopping is mutar. The mere act of going door to door asking for treats on the eve of “All Saints Day” (Oct. 31) is mutar. Giving gifts in December is mutar. If a sale is part of the way they honor their avodah zarah, it probably is better not to participate.

It’s not a humrah. Normal Americans (that pretty much leaves out New Yorkers – I”m referring to the vast majority of Christians) consider shopping for Christmas to be part of the observance of how they honor what they believe to be the birth of their diety. Ask you posek:

“Such and such is considered by the majority of goyim to be part of their religious holiday – Am I allowed to participate?” . Unless your posek is uber-Reform, I’ld be embarassed to ask such a dumb question.

Many rabbanim may not be aware that the purchases of presents is part of the Avodah of the holiday of Dec. 25, or that this holiday is truely avodah zarah. That is why we need better secular education in yeshivos – and not from frei Jews. If you hold that Dec. 25 is an avodah zarah holiday, and you realize that most Americans observe this holiday by shopping for and giving presents – it isn’t a shailoh that “Black Friday” is something frum yidden shouldn’t participate in. Do we want goyim to look and say: “Oh, those Orthodox Jews are out shopping for christmas Presents just like us – isn’t it good how they’ve come around to our way of thinking and are honoring “yeshke” (as we call him) by giving presents”.

Black Friday has absolutely NOTHING to do with kratzmach. Noone is buying washing machines as presents as stocking stuffers, yet Sears has a Black Friday deal.

Black Friday, as the name suggests, is when companies who are in the RED from a whole year of poor sales hope to cash in and get into the BLACK. From a negative balance sheet to a positive one. They create this whole hype. They probably hire the first few people to camp outside their stores two weeks an advance, not because they care about what gift you’re buying your mother-in-law, but because they need to balance their books.

The day’s name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. [4][5] Use of the term started before 1961 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation began to be offered: that “Black Friday” indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or are “in the black”.

I got some solid deals. I was out all night and morning just for the thrill of it but picked up some good deals on the way. By the way, anyone who says it’s a waste of money and you can find better deals later, that’s not true. Anything you buy can be flipped for a substantial profit, and if not can be returned. All the doorbusters, are limited and very good deals. The standard black friday deals that you can get without waiting in line for are not so great.